7 Months +

A friend gave me a card that reads, "If you think my hands are full, you should see my heart." This about sums it up...full on work and overflowing happiness, all at once.  It's like waking up and realizing you get to go to your dream job (for the most part!). It is so exciting to sit down and realize that about a year ago we were hoping the pregnancy would take and then when they were born so early and not one of them weighed more than two blocks of butter each, we were hoping they would live.  For me it is a total miracle to reach into the crib and cuddle a 10+ pound baby.

So far the babies are thriving in every way.  On July 16 they were 7 months old from birth (about 4 months corrected) and they demonstrate corrected age-appropriate behaviors and activities such as lifting the head, rolling over, batting at toys, holding toys, grabbing feet, babbling, etc. 

Their weights and couple of words about them:
Thomas 15.7  lb, 25 in, smiles ALL the time, laid back, content in most any situation 
William  14.4  lb, 24 in, studies everything, focused, likes to tuck his nose into blankets 
Gracie   13.7  lb, 24 in, has the biggest smile ever, "talks" all the time, loves to stand 
Cienna   10.9  lb, 23 in, constantly observes things around her, passes out grins to everyone

We no longer have a scheduled midnight feeding!  Thomas has been sleeping through the night for over two months and the other three take turns doing it it too.  Once in a while everyone stays asleep until the 5 am feeding, which sends me to their cribs to make sure they still have a pulse. If they do wake up and want to feed, I am able to breastfeed them since they are now all capable of breastfeeding. It is so nice not having to wake up and warm up a bottle.   

Here are a few random things that help the day go smoothly...

*Every Sunday morning the 40 fingers get a trim, this way I don't feel like I'm constantly needing to do it or wondering whether or not it has been done. 

*The best way to do bath time at the moment is to wait until there are 2-3 people to help so it goes quickly: someone hands me a baby, I wash him, pass him off and get the next one.  By the time I shower off, all the babies are dressed and ready for their bottle or nap. So thankful for friends & family!

*We continue to keep the changing table and baby closet in the living room (check out the picture below). This way anyone can jump in and help out if needed. (The house we moved into had a closet in the living room which was used to store canned goods.  It makes an amazing storage place for the baby clothes and blankets.) 

*Keeping a schedule has made for 4 content Little Ones.  We feed and diaper them five times a day (8:30 a.m., noon, 4:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 5 a.m.) and they are typically content in the meantime.  We have been doing this for about three months. 

Here are a few pictures from A Day in the Life of Baby Land...